Running Home
by Sabi'sSookie
Summary: *ON HIATUS*He broke her heart and she ran, only to come home and realize that he's not done with her by a long shot. One Shot entry for the Passionate About Paul Contest. Now continued...
1. Chapter 1

**Written for the "Passionate About Paul" one-shot contest**

**Pen Name: Sabi'sSookie**  
**Title: Running Home**  
**Rating: MA**  
**Primary Players: Paul/Bella**  
**Summary: He broke her heart and she ran, only to come home and realize that he's not done with her by a long shot.**  
**Word Count: 3,693**  
**Beta'd by: Nostalgicmiss**

**DISCLAIMER: Stephenie Meyer owns the Twilight saga and all its characters. No copyright infringement is intended. No profits have been received in the production of this piece. **

**To see other entries in the "Passionate About Paul" contest, please visit**  
**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/~passionateaboutpaulcontest**

**BPOV**

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as a tingling sensation ran up and down my spine. I didn't want to turn around for fear of what, or more appropriately, who I would see. It had been four years since I had set foot in this dump of a town. They say that you can never go home, and while I have no clue who in the hell "they" are, I do know that they are very wrong. You can most certainly go home again; I was living proof. What "they" forget to tell you is that coming home means facing all the problems you left behind, or in my case, the heartbreak.

I had been the virginal, bookworm daughter of the Chief of Police. A wallflower in every sense of the word, and perfectly content with that social status. I was awkward at best, and so clumsy at my worst that it should have been a handicap. As lonely as it got at times, I was more than content with my plot in life. Alone was safe. My father was living proof of just how badly things could go when you allowed people to get too close. If only I had heeded my own thoughts on the matter.

A throat clears from over my shoulder and I down the tequila shot sitting in front of me.

"Another, please," I manage to get out, and the bartender eyes me warily.

"Bella." His tone is harsh and I can tell that he is annoyed by my lack of attention, but I will not waver. I owe him nothing. I have given him more than enough.

His large hand touches my shoulder and I stiffen. The current of electricity that always comes with his touch courses through my body and I shiver. I can practically feel his smug smile.

"Fuck off." I swear with as much conviction as I can muster.

"I'd much rather fuck _you_," he whispers in my ear, his hot breath causing me to shiver involuntarily.

"I think you did enough of that years ago. Get lost, I won't tell you again." Now I am pissed. How dare he come on to me like he didn't break my heart four years ago and send me running for the hills! I wanted to punch him in the balls until they were forced to retreat back inside his body.

"Mmmm, so feisty these days. I like it." Cocky bastard.

"Come on, man, just leave her alone." I hear a voice I haven't heard in years and for once it is welcome.

"Jake!" I squeal and turn to look at him, all while avoiding the prick to his right.

"Hey, Bells. Charlie said you might be here." He wrapped me in a hug and I inhaled his woodsy scent. Apart from Charlie, my dad, he was the only thing I had missed in this hell hole of a town. He had been like a big brother my entire life, even when he grew tall and popular and I remained the geeky little Bella Swan.

"I missed you, Jake." I heard what sounded like a growl coming from _him_, but pointedly ignored him.

"Get your fucking hands off of her, Black." His voice was low and menacing.

"Get bent, Paul or I'll do what I should have done years ago." Jake had never been intimidated by Paul, even when others feared him.

Paul Uley had always been tall with muscles that rippled every time he moved. He was the quintessential bad boy, fully equipped with a motorcycle and tattoos. His older brother, Sam had always tried to keep him in line, but with an absent father and a drunken mother he didn't have much backup. Paul used it to his advantage and basically ran amuck. I had always watched him from a careful distance, daydreaming about how he was so hard on the outside to protect the softness within. I read way too many romance novels back then. Now I know better. People are _exactly_ what they seem to be.

"You don't scare me, _Jake_," Paul spat. "Your warnings didn't keep me away from her then and it won't now. Bella is mine."

I am very ashamed to say that his possessiveness turned me on. It always had. I suppose that was why he picked me to begin with. I was naturally submissive and it made me easy to control, and that was something that Paul always needed; to be in control. I figure it was due to the fact that his life had been nothing but chaos as a child.

"Yeah, I don't think so, dickhead. Bella here is getting married." I felt my back straighten at Jake's words. Nothing good could come of this.

"Like hell she is." Paul was dangerous and his voice made him sound positively lethal.

"I don't really think anyone asked your opinion, Paul."

"Jake," I warn, but his eyes never leave Paul's.

"Come on, Bells. Charlie told me to tell you to come on home if I found you."

"Okay, " I whisper and follow him without a glance in Paul's direction.

Paul's strong hand grabs my arm and Jake stiffens as he leans in.

"This isn't over, angel. I'll be seeing you soon." As soon as Jake situated me in the passenger seat of his truck I broke down. Fat, salty tears streamed down my cheeks.

"Just hold it together a little bit longer, Bells. It's all right." I sob loudly all the way to my dad's house, and sob some more as Jake carries me up the stairs to my bedroom.

"Did she see him?" I hear Charlie ask.

"What do you think?" Is Jake's reply. "I told him she's getting married."

"Dammit, Jake! You know all that's going to do is make him want her more! I've spent years covering her tracks to keep him from finding her, now he is going to come at her with everything he's got!" I looked up to see my dad tugging at his hair.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," I cry.

"No, baby, it's not your fault. Why don't you just get some rest, sweetheart. It'll all work out."

"Kay," I answer weakly.

Okay, so I'm sure you're all asking me "what the fuck" right now, right? I suppose I should explain. Like I said, I was a quiet girl, focused completely on school and helping my dad raise me. Jake was my only friend, and after visiting him on the reservation where he lived I decided to make a trip to the beach. I came across a very drunk Paul who looked unusually distraught. It was different from the anger he usually exuded.

_Flashback_

"_Are you all right?" My voice was small, but I couldn't just leave without making sure. It wasn't in my nature not to help._

_His eyes shot up to mine and he wiped them furiously, trying to rid himself of the evidence that he was, in fact, human._

"_I'm fine. What the fuck do you want?" I immediately lowered my eyes to the ground._

"_Sorry, I just saw you and thought… sorry. I'll just… go." I made to walk away and in an instant he had his arms around my waist, pulling me to him._

"_So sweet," he whispered as he ran his nose along my neck. I didn't speak. I couldn't have if I tried. I looked up to meet his eyes and was lost in their depths. I saw something in him that needed to be saved. Ever so gently I raised my hand and pressed it to his cheek and he leaned into the contact. After a few seconds his eyes filled with determination and his lips were pressed to mine. It was my first kiss, and while it was forceful and desperate it was filled with a strange tenderness. We didn't talk that day, but over the next three months he would randomly appear, his eyes always watching. Occasionally he would approach me if we were alone. Those days were the best. We would talk for hours and sometimes kiss, but he never pushed anything. He said I was an angel and angels shouldn't be spoiled by devils like him._

_I guess after a while he changed his mind as he actively sought me out. Everything was done in secret. He claimed it was for my benefit. He said my reputation would be ruined if anyone ever found out. We ran in two completely different circles so it was not hard to keep our relationship quiet. After 6 months of sneaking around I gave him my virginity. He was careful and sweet. It was beautiful. And six more months later, right after graduation, my world came crashing down around me._

_You see, the reason I was kept a secret was not for my benefit at all, it was for the benefit of his girlfriend who happened to be Jake's sister Rachel. She had been away at college but had come home for the summer. I had showed up at Paul's wearing a trench coat and nothing else. I was 18 and free to be with him. I had decided to forgo university to stay with him and was excited to tell him the news. I let myself in, using the hidden key. Imagine my surprise to come face-to-face with Rachel, parading through the house in nothing but Paul's t-shirt._

"_Oh, hey, Bella!" She smiled. "What are you doing here?" Paul emerged with a towel slung low around his hips. She looked back and forth between us as I blinked back tears._

"_Paul, tell me you didn't!" She screamed, rounding on him. "How could you do that to her? To me?"_

_I ran without thinking and ended up at Jake's house. I broke down and told him the whole sordid story. He was surprised, as neither of us ever spoke of Paul. He knew that Rachel had dated him, but thought she finally wised up and kicked him to the curb. He hugged me as I cried and eventually Rachel came home and wrapped her arms around me._

"_Oh, Bella, you poor girl. I'm so sorry he did this to you." She ran her fingers through my hair in attempt to soothe me._

_I asked her why she wasn't mad at me._

"_You didn't know, Bella. You were a virgin, right?" I nodded._

_She explained how she knew that Paul had been messing around with someone and meant to break it off with him, but she saw him and fell under his spell, just like I had. She told me that he slept with her, but something was off. He was distracted and unable to finish. She thought he just felt guilty about cheating on her._

_My heart was shattered into a million pieces. I was forced to tell my dad what happened after Paul threatened to beat down our front door if someone didn't open it. He called, left messages, and eventually even resorted to texts. I changed my number._

_He showed up at my dad's house every day, looking worse for wear, and sometimes very drunk. I moved in with my dad's sister, Esme and told no one. I went to college and became a dental hygienist, a job that didn't require much in the way of communication as my patients' mouths were always full and unable to talk._

_My dad would come to visit me at the house I shared with my cousins Edward and Alice. I tried dating, but it never felt right. I only did it to appease Alice. Eventually I met Emmett through Alice's boyfriend, Jasper and we began to spend time together. I never felt for him what I felt for Paul and he understood. He had his own bad past relationship with Rosalie Hale. We were friends, but let everyone believe there was something more. We both desperately wished that there would be, but it never happened._

_Eventually Alice married her boyfriend Jasper, and then Edward met a woman and fell madly in love. I no longer fit in but the final straw was when Emmett gave in to his feelings and went back to Rosalie. I wasn't hurt. I was happy for him, but watching everyone pair off was just too much. I decided to leave Chicago and go back to my dad._

My dad never mentioned that Paul looked for me, not that it would have made much of a difference. I was so confused about everything. Why Paul tried to find me. Why Jake lied about me being engaged. It's been four years since I left so none of it even mattered.

I slide under the covers and fall into a fitful sleep.

I am awakened by a familiar tingling. My eyes shoot open and Paul is sitting on the edge of my bed. I instinctually jerk away from his hand that is touching my face.

"Shh," he warns. I should scream. My dad would come in and probably shoot him. But then my dad would end up in prison, not a good place for a cop.

"Leave. You shouldn't be here."

"Oh, that's where you're wrong, angel. This is exactly where I should be." He kicks off his boots and climbs into my bed.

"Please don't," I beg as tears fall from my eyes.

"Oh, baby, what did I do to you?" He sighs. "None of that matters now. You're back and we're going to work this out. I love you, Bella. I've always loved you."

His words wash over me and I feel something I haven't felt in four years, and I want to hold onto it. I know that it can never go past tonight. I am not foolish enough to let him into my heart again, but I just want one more time.

**PPOV**

Four years. For four years I looked for her. I begged and pleaded, but no one would tell me. I made a mistake and broke both our hearts in the process. I had always planned to break it off with Rachel, but I felt I owed her to do it in person. She wanted one last time, and I felt so guilty about hurting her that I gave in. It felt awful. Wrong. She was too tall and her hair was too short. Her chest was too big and she didn't smell like Bella's fucking strawberry shampoo. She got off but I didn't, I couldn't. I wanted Bella. Then she was there. Innocent and beautiful… and fucking destroyed. Rachel laid into me about breaking her heart and Bella's. She loved Bella. Everyone did, and I was the prick to hurt her.

My brother beat me within an inch of my life when he found out what happened. My angel thought no one noticed her, but she had no idea how cherished she was by everyone that she ever came in contact with. She was the only one to ever see past the image I put out. She loved me. She told me so as often as she could, and like a fool I never said it back.

Then she was gone.

When I saw her in that dingy lodge, slamming back tequila shots it took all my willpower not to throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to my house. The house I built for her. After she left I worked hard, made a living and opened an auto shop with my brother. I built her dream house, hoping she would come back to me. I didn't deserve her, but I would stop at nothing to have her back.

Then Jake happened. Said she's getting married. Not unless she's marrying me.

I watched her house, waiting for all the lights to go out. I climbed the tree outside her window. Lucky for me she left it unlocked. And I just sat watching her until she woke. She could always feel me, like I could feel her. It was some freaky connection we shared. She was still Bella, only a little older. She had grown into herself, no longer did she look like a girl. Her hair was a little longer, and she had filled out a little more, but she is still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

She was shocked and angry, but then something changed. She launched herself at me and I am finally home. I hold back the sob that is dangerously close to escaping my mouth and kiss her greedily. I taste the salt of her tears but when I pull away to wipe them she shakes her head and kisses me again. I know we should talk, but I am caught up in the taste of her; the feel of her. She is everything.

She tugs at the hem of my shirt and I allow her to take it off. Her tiny hands trace my torso and she takes in the new tattoo over my heart from the faint light her nightlight gives off. It's her name and a tribal swan. She kisses it and I moan.

"I love you," I whisper and she silences me with her mouth. Her tongue traces mine as she explores my mouth, her hands running up and down my chest.

I'm not sure how, but her shirt is gone and she is before me in nothing but her white cotton boyshorts.

"So fucking beautiful," I want to cry because she really is.

My fingers brush her nipples and she cries out. I fight back anger wondering about this man she intends to marry and if she reacts to his touch this way.

"Mine." I growl and my hands make their way down until I am cupping her. She is so wet and I want to dive in and never leave.

I lay her down and she raises her hips as I remove her panties. I kiss her there and her hips buck.

"No," she cries "it's been too long. I just need you."

"What do you need angel? Tell me." I demand.

"You. Inside." Her hands reach for my belt and my dick twitches when she brushes it. For four years it hasn't been touched by anything but my hand. If I didn't have her I didn't want anyone. I had to hold out to show her. I would have waited forever.

Now we are both bare and I am poised at her entrance. She moans quietly and begs.

"Please," she says as her hips jerk meeting my tip. We both moan.

"Tell me who you belong to. Tell me that you're mine and no one else's."

Her eyes shoot open and she bites her bottom lip. I nudge the head into her just enough to make her want more.

"Tell me," I demand again.

"Yours," she breathes, "I've always been yours, Paul."

My name from her lips is all I need and I ease my way into her. She is wet and tight and I just know that no one else has been there. She still fits just me. It takes her a few minutes to adjust to my size and then we are moving. In and out, slow then fast. Our hands roam and our mouths seek out the other. She cries into my mouth as she comes. I thrust harder, but try to hold off. I want her to feel that ecstasy again. My fingers find that sensitive bundle of nerves and I rub as I increase the speed of my thrusts.

"Paul," she whispers against my lips.

"Can you come for me, angel. I'm so close." She nods and I feel her tightening around me. I kiss her to keep us both quiet.

I release into her. Our eyes meet and she quickly turns away. That will not do.

"No, I've waited four years to see those eyes. Don't turn away from me." Her eyes say it all.

This was goodbye for her.

"No!" I cry, not caring about the volume of my voice.

"Shh, be quiet!" She whisper yells.

"No! I don't fucking care! I'm not just going to let you go!"

"Please, just be quiet," she pleads and shifts. I am still inside her and the movement makes me hard again.

"This isn't over. It will never be over." I start thrusting and her eyes roll back. Each word I say is punctuated with a hard thrust. "You. Belong. To. Me. And I belong to you."

"Paul," her voice quivers, a sign that she is close.

"Mine. Say it!" I growl and she complies.

"Yours, yours, yours." I know that she will say anything in this moment but I take it.

She comes and relaxes, then she tries to turn herself off. I can practically feel her shutting down.

"Look. At. Me!" I do cry now. I am desperate. I need her like air, and I won't survive if she leaves me again.

I come and it's powerful despite my emotional state.

"I'm so sorry I hurt you. I couldn't… I can't lose you again. Baby, please…" I sob like a child but she shields her face from me. I need her eyes. I need to know that she still loves me.

Neither of us realizes the time, but we both stiffen as we hear Charlie's alarm clock. Thankfully, he doesn't check in on her and goes to work.

"Bella, we need to talk about this. You need to know…" but she cuts me off.

"Can you just hold me, Paul? Just for now? I feel like I haven't slept in years." I can't deny her, and I don't want to. My arms wrap around her slight frame and I feel her relax into me.

"I love you," I whisper, reverently.

"Doesn't change anything." Her words are slurred as she drifts into sleep.

"It changes everything." I say, but her breathing is still even. "I know you still love me. I will get you back, and neither of us will ever be alone again."

I kissed her and drifted off to sleep, hopeful, for the first time in four years.


	2. Chapter 2

**All recognizable characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just like to play in her shoes. However, the plot is all mine!**

**Chapter 2**

**BPOV**

The tattoos that had previously only covered ¾ of his right arm were now expanded across his back and all the way down his left arm. What stunned me was that in between the intricate tribal markings were colorful pictures of us. Well, not us, per-se, but pictures from our time together; the spot on the beach where we first kissed, a patch matching the fabric of the blanket he laid me on when I gave him my virginity, dates and times written in elegant script, the front grill of my truck, headlights illuminated from the time he tried to teach me to dance with only my headlights to show the way, and finally, it was me, head bowed, a long curtain of hair covering my face. I recognized the long trench coat. It was a picture of me the day I saw him with Rachel.

I am careful not to jostle him as I do not want to risk waking him. The reminders of our life together becomes too much and I need to flee. I don't care that we are in my home, in my room. The emotional turmoil I am feeling is overwhelming. I can't go back to that place, to being that girl. As easily as possible I slide out from under his heavy arm and quickly dress.

"Baby?" Paul's voice washes over me and I freeze, but his eyes are still closed. I run until I reach the safety of my small SUV.

"Bella!" Paul screams from my front door as I peel out of the driveway. In the rear view mirror I see him pulling on his pants as he runs to his motorcycle parked down the block. Thankfully he is not quick enough and I reach the safety of Jake's house.

"Bells?" Jake questions when he opens the door. I don't say anything, I simply break down into a fit of sobs as he engulfs me in a hug.

"Oh, Bella," he sighs, "tell me you didn't."

The fact that I am that obvious makes me sob even harder.

"Katie!" Jake shouts as he pulls my trembling form into the house.

"Yeah, baby?" Katie, Jake's wife takes in the sight of me and immediately extricates me from Jake's arms.

"Bella, honey, it'll be all right," she coos as she rubs my back soothingly.

I hate that they are being forced to deal with me in this condition… again. Jake and Katie had met shortly before the demise of my relationship with Paul, so she was there to witness my break down. Even though they had only been together about a month, she treated me as if she had known me for years and even saved me from Jake's constant hovering. We had all been close ever since.

"I slept with him! And the tattoos… I saw them! They're…. they're…" I began to hyperventilate.

"Bella! Calm down!" Katie shakes me slightly, trying to get me to snap out of my little fit of hysterics. Eventually I am able to breathe again and calmly tell her everything that happened.

"Sweetie, are you sure that you shouldn't try to work things out?" She asks me.

"Katie!" Jake scolds, but she waves him off.

"I mean, it's been years and he still affects you this way, and if those tattoos reflect how he feels about you, then he seems to be similarly affected." I look into her sympathetic blue eyes and shake my head. I can't let him have that power over me again.

"Maybe you should talk to Emmett. If anyone knows what you're going through, it's him," she urges and I know that she's right, but Em ended up back with Rose and I don't want to hear about how things can work out. I feel like if I give him another chance, everything I went through; the heartache, the life changes, the _therapy_, would all be for nothing. And he would hurt me again. I know he would. No, I can't. I won't give him that kind of power over me again.

But I nod anyway because if there's one thing I know about Katie is that she is relentless… and a hopeless romantic. She may act like a hard-ass, but in reality she's a big sap!

The telltale sign of Paul's motorcycle interrupts any further conversation.

"Here we go," Jake rolls his eyes and steps out onto the porch. Katie and I look out the window from our position on the couch and I hope that this ends peacefully. Jake has been dying to get his hands on Paul for years, but they have kept a safe distance from one another until now.

"Bella!" Paul calls, ignoring Jake all together.

"When a girl runs away, it usually means that she doesn't want to see you, dickhead." The sarcasm drips off Jake's tongue.

"This has nothing to do with you! It's between me and Bella. Bella!" He yells my name again and makes to push past Jake.

"Katie," I whisper, pleadingly. I have no idea what I'm begging for. Part of me wants to run to him and I'm begging her to hold me back, and the other part of me wants her to go out there and demand that he leave. No one would dare defy Katie. She's little, but she's really scary when she wants to be.

"You should really talk to him, Bella," she pauses and smirks, "but only after they beat the shit out of each other."

"What?" I screech.

"Oh, hush, Jake ruined my new boots… let his damn dog chew them up. And the ass forgot our anniversary. I'd say he's due an ass whipping." We both giggle until we hear the distinct sound of fists meeting flesh.

Since we weren't paying attention, I missed who threw the first punch, but I didn't miss the brawl that broke out.

"Katie, we've got to stop them," I whisper, my eyes never leaving the two men.

"But it's sort of hot," she whispers back.

"Katie!" I scold.

"Fine, let's go break them up," she huffs and struts out onto the front porch and whistles. One of those really loud whistles that I've never been capable of. They stop fighting, but keep a hold on one another.

A smile stretches across Paul's face when he sees me, and blood drips down his chin.

"Hey baby!" I have to fight to keep the smile off my face because he just looks so much like a little boy when he smiles like that.

"Let Jake up, Paul." My voice is quiet, and without authority but he complies anyway.

"Fucker," Jake spits at Paul as he walks to Katie who is smirking at him. I know that smirk. She wants to show him just how hot she thinks that little display was.

"Katie," I plead and it gets her attention.

"Party pooper," she sticks out her tongue.

"Why did you leave?" Paul is standing in front of me and I know he is going to touch me so I take a step back.

"I told you it didn't mean anything, Paul."

"You're so fucking full of shit, B. If it didn't mean anything you wouldn't have ran off like that!"

"Watch your tone with her, asshole." Jake takes a step forward but Katie holds him back.

"Can we just go somewhere and talk about this?" His tone is pleading and it matches his eyes. They look so damn sad.

_No, don't fall for it, Bella. He'll break you again._

"There's nothing left to say, Paul. Girl falls for guy, gives him everything she has, he breaks her heart, she moves on. What else is there to say?" I can practically feel the anger rolling off him in waves now.

"If you had really moved on we wouldn't have made love last night! You're no more over me than I am you! Just fucking admit it!" He reaches out and grips my arms lightly.

"Making love? We fucked, Paul. Isn't that all we've ever done? After all, that's what you used to tell me, right? _Paul Uley doesn't make love, he fucks_." I imitate his voice when he told me that on one of our first real talks together.

"That changed! You fucking know it did! I may have not said it back then, but I fucking loved you, Bella!"

"You're right! You didn't say it when it counted, and you proved that you wouldn't have meant by fucking someone else the first chance you got!" Hot, angry tears stream down my face and Paul's expression softens.

"I know I fucked up. I know that, but I can make it better now. I was just a dumb fucking kid, Bella, and I thought I owed her something." Jake hisses at him because as much as he loves me, Rachel is his sister.

"Well, you should have thought about what you owed _me_! I loved you! I gave you everything! My body… I gave you my fucking heart and you tossed it back to me like trash! Never again will you get the chance to hurt me like that!"

I almost give in when he hit his knees in front of me, but I have held on to that pain for so long, I don't think I can let it go. I've been consumed by it for years.

"Please," he whispers.

"Bella," Katie pleads. She never could stand to see a grown man cry. Jake pulls her back and scolds her about letting me make my own decisions.

"Please just leave me alone, Paul. I'm here out of necessity, not because I desire to be. Let me live my life and you go back to living yours." My hand hovers over his cheek then drops to my side.

"I'll never leave you alone," he growls through clenched teeth. I know this Paul. This is possessive Paul. In my young, naïve days I found it hot when he would go all caveman on me, but now… now I just wanted it to be over. Infidelity is something I swore I would never condone. Not even for someone I loved as much as Paul.

"Then I'll leave again. The second I can find another job somewhere else, I'll be gone."

"Like hell you will! I'll follow you! Dammit, Bella! Just fucking talk to me!" His hands are in his hair and I want to tell him not to pull too hard. I want to loosen his grip for him and link our hands together, but that ship sailed years ago.

"It's been years, Paul. I'm over it. Last night was fun, and I think I needed it. I needed the closure."

Paul jumps up from his place on the ground, not even bothering to wipe the remaining tears from his face.

"Paul," Jake warns but there is no heat behind the words. I want to call him a traitor, but I don't. I am over Paul's shoulder and being thrown into the passenger seat of my own car. I make several attempts at escaping but he simply hauls me back until I agree to stay put. We drive until we are at the edge of the reservation. A beautiful home is before me and I pale. I knew this land. We use to park in the very spot where the house sits and make love for hours.

"I've spent all these years away from you building this, so that when I finally got you back I had something to offer you. Built it with my own two hands. Every free second I hade was dedicated to finishing this place."

I was too stunned to react and allowed him to pull me from the car and lead me into the house. It was my dream house. I had described it to him years ago, but never thought he was actually paying attention. To anyone else it would look seemingly plain with its pale yellow outer shell and white picket fence. The white shutters match the perfect little fence and accent the house perfectly. I am stunned silent and Paul has to tug on my arm to get me moving. Then we are in the house and it is full of soothing browns and tans with splashes of color along the way. The wooden floors are smooth and unblemished, although the wood looks slightly distressed.

"That patch of floor over there?" Paul points to a patch in front of the fireplace. "That came from our log. The one where we talked for the first time."

Why oh why couldn't he have made this sort of effort years ago when I still would have fallen into his arms? Now before you go and string me up, we have to remember that we live in the real world, and while I know this is all swoon-worthy, cheating has and always will be a deal breaker for me. It was the one thing that my mother actually took the time to teach me; once a cheater, always a cheater. It had been drilled into my head early on and it stuck with me always. I had watched as my flighty mother went from man to man, giving them everything she had until they proved that it wasn't enough. Time after time she caught them with other, younger women and she immediately moved on to another town and another man. Yet the one man who truly adored her and she refused to stick it out because he was too "boring".

After my debacle with Paul, I decided that I was becoming my mother and realized that I would learn to love boring! I was boring as hell, so it should fit well with me, right? Yet my body had always yearned for Paul. For his touch. Now I stood in this beautiful home that he built for me and I felt like I was being ripped in half. The part of me that still loved him, that reminded me of my mother, wanted to curl up on the oversized couch and make myself at home with him. But then I remembered everything I had gone through to pull myself out of the funk he had put me in. My dad had told me that I had always been such a "constant little thing" and worried that, like him, I would never recover. Never move on. For the people that had picked me up off the floor and put me back together, I had to stay strong and remember what he had done to me.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Paul. It's a beautiful home, but it's not mine. You have got to let this go and move on with your life." The words tasted like battery acid on my tongue. The thought of him moving on made me want to hurl, but it wouldn't be fair to want him to be alone when I hoped to move on myself. Just because he hurt me didn't mean he didn't deserve love and happiness. I just couldn't be the one to give it to him.

"That's not going to happen, little girl," Paul ground out through clenched teeth. "I don't give a shit what you say, I'm not giving up on you. I fucked up, and I have deserved every ounce of pain I've felt because of it, but I'm selfish enough to fight for you anyway. I know that I hurt you! But it's been so fucking long, B! You still love me! I know it! And if I have to lock you in this damn house to keep you then I'll fucking do it!"

The sad thing was that I knew he would do just that. He would have no qualms about locking me up. Unfortunately for him, Jake would tell Charlie, who would come in, guns blazing. And as much as I wanted to be rid of Paul in my life I didn't want him harmed in any way. With a heavy sigh I decided to try a compromise.

"All right, how about we just start out as friends. It's been years, Paul and I'm not the same girl that I was when you knew me. You may not even like me now." He rolled his eyes doubtfully.

"Bella, who in the hell do you think you're talking to? You're not fooling anyone here. This is just some bullshit excuse to get me to give you some space so you can leave. Not gonna' happen. And you can go ahead and call that fiancé of yours and call that shit off right now."

Okay, so there was no fiancé but the fact that he was ordering me around just pissed me off. So before I could think about what I was doing I lied.

"Yeah, I'd like to see you tell him that! Emmett wouldn't back down from you." Inside my head I could see Rosalie rolling her gorgeous blue eyes at me for being an idiot and involving her husband in my drama. Then again, she loved seeing men suffer and would probably get in on the action. If I could get away from Paul I would have to call them both and beg.

Paul laughed, but it was dark. I knew that he was ready to explode. He moved in my direction like a jungle cat stalking his prey. When he reached me he didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around me and pull me into him.

"Yeah, you bring that fucker here and see what happens. But I'll tell you this, I don't think he'd stick with you knowing what we did last night. And if you think I won't stoop low enough to tell him then you really don't know me." My breathing picked up the way it always did when I was that close to him.

"Look at you. Right now you're thinking about how I felt inside of you. How you want me to be there again. Aren't you?" He smirked and bent down so that his lips were pressed against my ear.

"Please, Paul?" I begged, unsure if I was begging for him to take me to the bedroom or release me.

"I knew you'd see it my way." He leaned in to kiss me but at the last second I gathered strength that I didn't know I even possessed and turned away from him.

"I meant, please let me go," I sobbed, unable to hold back all the emotions he had drug up.

"Never. The sooner you accept that the easier this will be for both of us. But you go ahead and bring your man here. I dare you," he spat before planting a sweet kiss on my cheek. I had never been so relieved in my life as I was to hear someone banging on his front door.

"Paul! Jake called me!" Sam's voice bellowed and I could have kissed him. "Now open the damn door and let the poor girl out of there!"

Paul strode over to the door and it creaked from the force of his pull.

"This is none of your fucking business, Sam," Paul spat. I could see the unspoken argument going on between the two of them. Sam was scolding him without saying a single word, and Paul was as defiant as ever.

"Bella, wait for me outside," Sam ordered, never taking his eyes off of Paul. I quickly moved to comply, seeing my way out. I would just stay inside my dad's house and make sure every door and window was locked until I could find a job somewhere else. Stupid economy.

"Bella, don't you dare!" Paul yelled. I could tell that he was getting upset and knew nothing good could come of leaving him when he was ready to freak out.

"Paul," I spoke as softly as I could as I made my way over to him and placed my hand on his back, "you can't just keep me here. You know my dad would come looking for me. And would you really keep me somewhere I didn't want to be? If you really love me like you say you do, you'd let me go."

His massive body trembled beneath my hand and without saying a word he stepped out of the way to let me pass. Sam led me to his truck but before I could climb in I heard the crashes coming from inside the house. My house.

"He'll be all right, Bells. Let's just go." Another crash stopped me from moving, but it was the horrid sound of Paul's tortured yell that did me in. I found my feet running toward the house, toward Paul. No matter what he had done to me I couldn't let him suffer that way.

"Oh, Paul," I sighed as I took in the scene before me. In that short amount of time he had destroyed the living room. Blood oozed from his hands, no doubt from his destructive behavior. He didn't look up at me from his position on the floor so I went to him and wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders.

"Why would you do this, Paul?" When he didn't answer I made a move to go and find a first aid kit to clean him up but he pulled me into his lap instead.

"I can't do this again, angel. It will kill me." I shushed him and tried to think of a scenario in which I could help him without letting my heart get involved in the process.

**A/N So, I had quite a few reviews and PM's asking me to continue (ahem, where are my pastries? LOL!) so I figured, what the hay. Not to mention Paul is so loud in my head! I don't have an update schedule for this or any idea how long it will be, but I will give them a story ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**No copyright infringement is intended. SM owns all the yummy characters that we love. I just play dress up in her shoes.**

**Chapter 3**

**Bella**

I decided that the least I could do was to help Paul clean up. I sent Sam on his way after Paul promised to let me go after I agreed to talk to him. It was surreal to see him that way. Paul had always been the epitome of self-assured. He had never been even remotely clingy in our time together, so I was thrown for a loop by the way he watched me like one would watch a wild animal. It was like he was terrified I would simply disappear. To be honest, I had no idea what to do with Paul when he was like that. All I really wanted to do was hold him and tell him that it would all be all right, but too many memories of how I felt when he slept with Rachel and the pain that it caused were till floating around in my mind.

As well as my mother's words. "_Honey, men never change. Once a cheater, always a cheater. It's best to count your losses and move on."_

"What are you thinking about?" Paul asked, his eyes sweeping my face for any signs of what I was thinking.

"Um, nothing. Just about something my mom said." Paul snorted. He had never been a fan of my flighty mother. He thought she should have spent more time taking care of me instead of roaming the range.

"And what, pray-tell, were her words of wisdom?" Sarcasm was evident in his tone.

"Once a cheater always a cheater," I spoke, making the smirk immediately fall from his face.

"Baby, I really want to tell you everything. There aren't any excuses, but I don't feel like we can move on from this and be together until it's out there." I immediately began shaking my head no. I didn't want to hear why he chose to be with her that way. To risk everything we had together. My love. My heart.

"I had never broken up with her. I think you probably already know that by now, but we had been together for years. I liked her, but not enough to remain faithful. I cheated on her… a lot. You know what kind of person I was before you."

_And apparently were while we were together too._ I spat in my mind, but remained silent.

"Anyway, she knew what I was and what I did. I wanted to end things with her, but believed that the least she deserved was for me to tell her in person. To be honest, we rarely ever talked at all by the time I met you. We were over, just not officially. Honestly, I forgot all about her when I was with you. I forgot about everyone and everything. Then she came home. She showed up on my doorstep telling me how much she missed me. That she loved me. So I told her that it was over. That I had been cheating on her for most of our relationship. I didn't tell her about you because I didn't want to throw it in her face." He took a few deep breaths before continuing.

"Then she cried and asked me for one more time together. I felt so awful for hurting her that I gave in. It's no excuse, but you had made me see how awful I was. You were so damn good and kind and for the first time in my life I felt guilty. So I slept with her. It wasn't pleasant and I'm sure she could tell you about my lack of performance. I couldn't even finish because all I could do was think about you."

Paul took a few deep breaths, concentrating very hard on his calloused hands.

"I don't know what you want me to say," I finally began. "I mean, you're right, it's no excuse. You broke my heart, Paul. Everyone had warned me about you, but I saw something in you that was worthy of a chance. It doesn't matter to me that you thought of me while you had sex with another woman! It doesn't make it better because you didn't _finish_. You. Still. Had. Sex. With. Someone. Else." I couldn't help the anger and hurt that bubbled up inside of me like some sort of volcano ready to erupt.

"I know! You think I don't know that! I lost the only person that ever mattered to me! I loved you! Hell, I still do! I know I don't deserve another chance, but dammit if I'm going to let that stop me!" In two determined strides he had me in his arms. I hadn't even realized that I was crying until a loud sob broke free from my chest.

"Shh, baby. I'm going to make it better, I swear." I should have been ashamed the way I fell apart wrapped around him like that, but I didn't have it in me to care. It felt so good to feel his strong arms.

"I can't go down that road again, Paul. I just can't," I cried, my voice muffled by where I had buried my face in his chest.

I felt Paul stiffen but then he just tightened his grip on me.

"Well, I can't let you go again, so it seems we're at an impasse." I took a deep breath and let it out before extracting myself from his hold.

"Can we just be friends?" I pleaded, not wanting to have the same conversation that resulted in him destroying part of his house.

"For now, but not forever. Patience has never been something that I was blessed with, but I suppose I can wait a little longer. But the fiancé has to go, Angel. I may be giving you time, but don't think for one second that I'm letting some other man marry you. So, you do whatever you need to in order to get rid of him." He spoke so closely to my ear that it send shivers down my spine. I fought not to react, but my traitorous body had always been affected by him. I could practically feel his smirk.

"What the hell happened in here?" Jake's voice broke through our haze and Paul turned to glare at him. The door had been left wide open and Jake took it upon himself to just walk in.

"I was redecorating," Paul deadpanned.

"Sure, sure. Bells, Charlie called looking for you. I told him you'd be on your way shortly." Jake's eyes seemed to be trying to convey something, but I had no idea what and my head was beginning to ache from all the thinking I had been doing already.

"All right, I'll catch a ride with you to your house and head home." Paul grabbed me, forcing me to look up at him.

"You come back or I'll come to you. Either way, you're not getting rid of me, little girl." I did the only thing I could and nodded. I could feel his stare burning into the back of my body as I made my way to Jake's truck.

Jake never said a word, only cast worried glances in my direction. I wanted to reassure him that I would be fine, but I just didn't know if that was the truth. To be honest, the entire situation was surreal when I actually had time to think about it. The man that had cheated on me and broken my heart had looked for me, then when he couldn't find me, he built my dream house _just incase_ he found me and was able to get me back. One half of my brain swooned at how much time he had spent devoted to me with no guarantees that he would ever even see me again, and the other half thought he was maybe a little crazy.

"You look like you're thinking pretty hard over there, Bells," Jake's voice was calm, but I could see how worried he was about how everything was affecting me.

"It's just a lot to process. The tattoos, the fact that he searched for me… and how no one happened to mention that to me I'll never know." I raised an eyebrow at Jake who just shrugged in response. "And the house… He built me a house."

Jake nodded as we pulled into his driveway. I could see Katie practically bouncing on the porch and I readied myself for an inquisition. She was relentless and I knew she was going to want a full play-by-play. Thankfully Jake saved my ass.

"Katie-bear, I know you want to give Bells the third degree, but Charlie is expecting her home. I expect he has some questions of his own." My shoulders sank just knowing what I would have to endure from my dad.

Katie huffed and warned me that I would be sharing everything the first chance I had available and after several hugs I was on my way. Charlie wasn't too bad with the interrogation. He said I was grown and had to make my own choices, but if "that boy" ever hurt me again Paul would be changing his name to Pauline. Thankful that the day was finally coming to an end, I made my way up to my room, not even caring that I hadn't eaten all day. I was almost asleep when my cell phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked without even glancing at the caller ID.

"Bella!" Two very different voices yelled at the same time.

"Hi, Em. Hi, Rose," I sighed.

"Oh, hell no! We haven't seen you in forever and you haven't called in two weeks! Now you sound like someone killed your puppy! Spill, girl!" Rose… I loved her but she was so damn bossy.

"I don't have a puppy, Rose," I quipped making Emmett burst into laughter.

"Oh, I've missed you Bella-Boo!" He boomed.

"Yeah, yeah, we miss you! But now I can definitely tell something's wrong. Did you see _him_?" I could hear the worry in her voice.

So I told them. Everything. The other end of the line was silent for what felt like forever when I was finished. In reality it was probably only a few seconds. Emmett was, of course, the one to break the silence.

"So, you chose _me_ as your fake luvah? Sweeeeeeeet!" I could hear the sound of Rose smacking him in the back of the head.

"Ow, babe. Keep that shit up and I won't do that thing you like with my…"

"TMI! TMI! TMI!" I yelled. I had been privy to exactly what happens when those two entered into that sort of discussion.

"Okay, okay. So let me get this straight. You want my husband… the father of my unborn baby, to come down there and face off with your hotheaded ex?" When Rose said it, it just sounded stupid.

"Um, well, I sort of spoke without thinking. I didn't actually mean for him to come here. I just wanted Paul to think I was with someone else… and Jake told him I was engaged… and I thought if he believed I was taken then he would give up and leave me to wallow in peace."

"But of all the people you knew, you chose me as your fake fiancé? I'm flattered, Belly!" Emmett had always been good at cheering me up, and as the laughter bubbled out of my mouth I couldn't have been happier that him and Rose were my friends.

"But seriously, Bella, we're coming there to see you and I have a plan!" Rose was excited. I could hear it in her voice and she knew that meant trouble for someone. Probably me.

"Oh, Lord help me," I teased.

"Emmett and I will be there Friday morning. No arguing! We can only stay for the weekend, but this shit is getting cleared up while we're there." Rose's tone left no room for argument, so I just sat in stunned silence, thinking of what would go down with those two in Forks. Thankfully, Emmett brought me out of my worry.

"So, since we're engaged, does that mean I'll be getting' some Bella booty?" I snickered again and waited for the sound of the smack.

"Well, I did tell you we could have a threesome if Bella was into it." My mouth dropped open at Rose's words.

"Rose!" I squeaked.

"What, you're hot, Bella! You have no idea how jealous I was when you and Em were hanging out. When I was trying to get him back I told him I'd be willing to share." I wanted to crawl in a hole and hide. You would think I would have been used to Rose's mouth by then, but she always surprised me.

"Holy. Shit. Rose, just stop talking!"

"Aw, Rosie, what do you want to bet her face is red as a beet right now?" Emmett's chuckles were joined with Rose's.

"Yeah, you two are just a barrel of laughs. Why did I say Emmett's name?" I smacked my forehead with my palm as they laughed even harder.

"All right, well, we'll call you with the flight details," Rose told me after they calmed down.

"I'll see you soon…. Lover," Emmett whispered the last word and I hung up before they could say anything else to embarrass me. They were still laughing when I ended the call.

The next morning I awoke with a pounding headache. I wasn't sure whether it was from the lack of food the day before, or all the crying I had done. Either way it made me want to stay in bed with my pillow over my face to block out the light streaming through the window. I had never been more thankful that the dentist I worked for didn't believe in working on Mondays because I would not have wanted to be my patient right then. Either way I knew I would need copious amounts of coffee and ibuprofen. Unfortunately for me, Charlie seemed to be out of both. I grumbled my way out the front door, still clad in my flannel pajamas, my hair in a messy bun on the top of my head, intent on going to the grocery store.

"Morning, baby."

"Ahhhhhh!" I screamed. "What the… Paul? You scared the shit out of me!" He chuckled and held up a thermos.

"Peace offering?" He asked holding it out for me to take.

"Is that Sue's coffee?" I asked giddily.

"Sure is. I know how much you like it, and I figured you could use it this morning." I hated how well he knew me. I was not a morning person and coffee was a must. Sue's coffee was even better. Unfortunately I didn't make it out to LaPush as often as I would have liked first thing in the morning so it was a rare treat.

"Thanks, Paul. You wanna' come in for a bit?" I asked as it was the only polite thing to do after the man brought me Sue's fuckawesome coffee.

"I was countin' on it, baby." He winked and the voice of my hoo-ha spoke up. That particular voice had been silent for years and she may have even coughed a few times before giddily clapping her hands.

_Stupid vagina voice. _

"Friends remember, Paul?" I asked and he just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you say, _Bella_." We walked into the house and sat at the kitchen table. Paul stared at me, waiting for me to be the one to break the silence. The longer I was quiet, the wider his smirk grew.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" I blurted out. It was the best I could come up with when he was looking at me like that. Like he wanted to throw me on the table and do nasty, nasty things to me.

"Well," he licked his lips, "I have to go in soon, but I could be persuaded to call in sick." He waggled his eyebrows and let out a horribly fake cough.

"Uh," my eyes were still trained on his lips and he laughed loudly, knowing exactly where my mind was.

"I don't think you're _fiancé_ would approve of the way you're looking at me, Bella."

That was enough to slap me out of my lusty daze. Stupid good-looking, sexy bastard. If only I couldn't remember what he could do with that mouth. Or his…

"Yep! I think it's time for you to go to work! So, thanks for the coffee and I'll see you around!" He laughed as he allowed himself to be dragged out of my dad's house. I could still hear him after I had slammed the door and stomped to the living room.

Smug bastard. Emmett and Rose couldn't get there soon enough.

**A/N: So, not as long as the last one and took longer than I expected but my toddler is teething… stupid molars, and it is making him very clingy. A lot of this was typed one handed, as were most of the review replies. See how much I love you guys! Anywho, be sure to let me know what you think! I'm sure the grammatical mistakes are much worse this go 'round as I am posting this as soon as I finish it. I should probably get a beta at some point, huh? LOL! Anywho, you guys have blown me away with the response to this story! I mean, I got like 40 reviews for just the second chapter! You are all so awesome, have I told you that?**


	4. Chapter 4

**So, I totally failed in review replies, but I asked myself…. "Self, would your readers rather have you reply to reviews or get another chapter up super fast?". And here's the chapter, so I hope I was right in assuming you'd rather have that ;)**

**I still don't own any of the recognizable characters. But if any of them ever showed up at my door I would totally lock them in my house and keep them. Would I technically own them then?**

**Chapter 4**

**Paul**

She was avoiding me. Her daily phone calls were her way of keeping me at a distance. Sure, it was nice to talk to her, but I really wanted to see her. Fortunately for me, I knew what her distance was about… she was afraid. When I looked at her that morning at her dad's I could see the lust in her big brown eyes. Being close to me brought out a carnal reaction in her, the same thing her presence did for me. So I played the part of the good little boy and let her keep me away. Made her believe that I would let her live her life the way she wanted. It was only a matter of time before she would give in. She couldn't deny our connection if she wanted to.

That's not to say that my patience wasn't wearing thin. It was Friday afternoon and I was ready to see her. To hold her. To kiss her. Hell, just to be in her fucking presence. The only thing on my mind as I bid the rest of the construction crew goodbye was going home, getting showered, and heading over to the Swan's. Unfortunately, the very pregnant blonde amazon leaning against my truck looked like she would cause a delay in my plans.

"Do I know you, Barbie?" I asked, not even sparing a smile for her as I slung my tools in my toolbox.

"Nope, but you're sure as hell going to be glad that you met me." I rolled my eyes. Was I really getting hit on by a pregnant chick? I mean, it wouldn't have been the first time, but she didn't fit the usual profile.

"Look, you're hot and all, and I have nothing against pregnant chicks, but I'm sort of celibate." The blonde threw her head back and laughed loudly. It was a reaction I was used to when I told women that I didn't have sex. I guess I just looked like someone who fucked a lot.

"Unless the woman is a certain brunette about yay tall and goes by the name of Bella?" I snapped my head back to see her holding her hand up to her chin.

"What do you know about Bella?" The hair on the back of my neck stood up. If this bitch wanted to hurt Bella then she would have to go through me.

"Oh, I know lots about Bella. And I know all about her _fiancé_." She giggled when she said the last word while rubbing her large belly. Wait, was Bella's fiancé… No.

"What about her fiancé?" I spat through gritted teeth.

"Oh, just that her fiancé is my _husband_ and this is his baby." Red. All I saw was red. I wanted to get my hands on the fucker because it was going to kill Bella and I had hurt her enough. I wanted her single and free to be with me, but not that way. Not if it meant her heart being broken.

"I can see the wheels turning in your head and before you go all feral I think there's something you need to know. Emmett and Bella are not engaged. Hell, they've never had anything more than an awkward kiss when they first hung out. If I remember correctly Bella said it was like kissing her brother." She chucked lightly.

"But why would Bella lie to me?" I asked.

"Really? Why are the pretty ones always so dumb?" She seemed to ask herself. "Think, Paul! Why would Bella create a fake fiancé?"

"To make me think she was taken. To keep me away from her. Sneaky little minx." I had to smile. My little angel really believed that would keep me away. I couldn't help the laughter that broke free. My little Bella… so naïve.

"You're not pissed. Damn, I was sure you'd blow a gasket."

"Bella's single, what's there to be pissed about?" In fact all I wanted to do was kiss the glamazon for clueing me in. So I did! No tongue, of course, but I planted a sloppy, loud kiss on her red lips.

"Well, I guess I just became your favorite person. But…" I hated that damn word, "you can't let on that you know. The only reason I'm telling you is so that you can prove to Bella that she is the most important thing to you. You have to make her think that you care enough about her to be accepting of her engagement."

"You know pregnant chicks shouldn't do drugs, right? Cause you must be high to think I'm not going to march my happy ass over there and kiss her senseless." She shook her head then spoke slowly.

"If you want her back, you have to prove to her that you can be supportive. That her happiness means more to you than your own. Gees, you men are all so clueless!"

"Why are you helping me?" I asked, because if she was Bella's friend why would she go behind her back. That didn't sit well with me.

"Emmett and I were high school sweethearts," she began, "he was all I ever knew. He proposed in college and I said yes. I've always loved Em, but I started thinking about the fact that Emmett would be to only man I would ever be with. I was young and stupid. I cheated on him. I was drunk and it was only once, but it broke his heart. He left me, and that broke mine."

I nodded telling her to continue. Tears filled her blue eyes but she pressed on.

"I tried everything to get him back, but he was just done. Said I had hurt him too badly and he couldn't trust me again. So I waited. And begged. And pleaded. And watched while he spent time with Bella. While she took my place. At least that was what I thought. It took time, and a lot of effort on my part, but he finally took me back. It took years, actually. Bella actually was a huge support… after she chewed my ass out for hurting him." We both laughed because while Bella was a sweet-natured person, she was very protective of the people she cared about.

"I bet she did."

"She just wanted Emmett to be happy. He was one of her best friends. When he and I got back together, I wanted to get to know the girl who had gotten so close to him. She didn't make it easy for me. When I finally asked her why she told me about you. About how hurt she was by what you did. How it ruined her completely. There was never anyone else, you know. She never moved on."

"Ever?" I was overjoyed that she hadn't been with anyone else, but I was also sad. I knew just how lonely that could be.

"No. Eventually she got to know me and now she's one of my best friends. The thing is, I've been on your side of this. And I know that you love her just like she still loves you. So, I want to help you two get back together. But I warn you, if you hurt her, I will cut off your balls and hang them from the bumper of my car."

"So what am I supposed to do?" I asked and she smiled, revealing her perfectly white teeth.

A couple hours later I was sitting at the diner in Forks, waiting for Bella and her fake fiancé to make an appearance. According to Rosalie, she hadn't even told Emmett what she was doing, so it was up to me to keep it that way. Even though I knew the truth, it still didn't stop the stab of jealousy that ran through my system at seeing her hand in hand with another man. The oaf was impressive in size, almost as tall as me, and a little bit thicker. I was still confident that I could take him. But Rose's words came back to me.

"_Remember, stay calm, act like it doesn't bother you at all. Show her that you are her friend first and that her happiness is what's most important."_

Yeah, I was still ready to rip his arms off when he wrapped one around her waist. I had to sit on my hands to keep from ripping the beefy arm in question from its socket. Bella gave me a questioning look and I smiled at her as genuinely as I could. She smiled back timidly and I could see her slightly pull away from the beefcake at her side. My smile got a bit more real and genuine at the small movement.

"So," I began, standing and holding out my hand, "you must be Emmett. Nice to meet you, man. I'm Paul."

Emmett gave Bella a look that said "the fuck?" but shook my hand anyway. The shock on Bella's face was priceless. I could see that she expected me to go all caveman on her and kick Emmett's ass before dragging her away and having my way with her. Not that the thought didn't cross my mind, but Rosalie swore the payoff on this would be HUGE. So I would play my part. When she suggested that I call Bella and ask if I could "meet her future husband" I thought she was insane, but from the look Bella was giving me I could see that she was a genius.

"Yep, I'm Bella's main man, her main squeeze, her love monkey," Rosalie was right, her husband couldn't act to save his life. Bella elbowed him in the ribs and I fought to suppress my laughter.

"Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm the ex." Emmett nodded and smiled before leading Bella into the booth.

"So, you must really miss Bella since she moved here, huh?" I could see that he wasn't acting when he said that he missed her. It was clear that he and Rosalie both adored her. I mean, who wouldn't? She was Bella.

"I don't know how you can handle it. I would lose my mind if my wife-to-be was so far away from me. Especially if her douchey ex-boyfriend was hanging around." Emmett smirked and I could see that he wanted to chuckle, but a stern look from Bella stopped him in his tracks.

"Well, it's tough, but so are we, right sweet lips?" Emmett was laying it on a bit thick with the nicknames just like Rosalie said he would.

"Sure thing, Em." Bella spoke through clenched teeth.

Lunch was fairly uneventful, except for the way Bella was constantly shifting her weight and biting her lip. She looked so adorably confused and I just wanted to kiss those pouty lips of hers. The conversation flowed easily between Emmett and myself and Bella remained fairly silent, just watching our interaction. Since I knew that Emmett posed no threat to my potential relationship with Bella, I found that he was easy to like. He was funny and a bit of a meathead, and I couldn't have picked a better friend for my Bella when she was relatively alone. I could see how much he cared about her, even if it was only platonic. I mean, obviously he cared as he was willing to fly thousands of miles to be there for her by pretending to be engaged to her.

"Well, I hate to cut this short, but I need to head home. I have an early day tomorrow." Bella looked at me curiously.

"But tomorrow's Saturday," Bella interjected, ignoring the look Emmett was giving her.

"Well, I am meeting someone early. Plus, you two probably have better things to do than hang out with me." Emmett barked out a laugh before quickly trying to cover it up with a cough.

We all said our goodbyes and I walked out of the diner with Bella hot on my heels.

"What was that, Paul?" Her tone showed just how affected she was by my calm behavior around Emmett. She wasn't used to it and had no idea what to think.

"Look, Bella, I heard what you told me. You want us to be friends. You're happy with _him_ and that is what means the most to me. Your happiness. I'm trying to be a good friend to you. Isn't that what you wanted?" Her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water.

"So, you're telling me that you're okay with this? With me and Em?"

"No," I answered honestly, because even if it was fake, I hated it. "But I want to show you that I've changed. That I can be whatever you need me to be."

Tears collected in her eyes before she threw her arms around me and sobbed. I had no fucking clue what to do. I hadn't meant to make her cry! Stupid fucking Rosalie and her stupid fucking ideas.

"I'm so sorry I've been such a bitch, Paul! I just…" She cried even louder into my chest.

"Shh, it's fine. I screwed up and I have to take responsibility for that. I'm just happy that I get to be in your life at all. Now you better get back in there to your man. Call me when you get a chance, okay?" I kissed the top of her head and smiled at the blank look on her face before getting in my truck and driving away.

**Bella **

I just stood there like a moron as he drove away. I was in such a state of shock that I couldn't even form a coherent sentence. Had that been Paul? My Paul? The one that lost his shit if another guy even glanced at me in his presence? He had been kind and even pleasant to Emmett. When he told me that all that mattered to him was my happiness I couldn't help the tears that came. I just needed to hold him in my arms. He really cared about me. I felt like a piece of shit for lying to him about Emmett then rubbing him in his face. Paul broke my heart years ago, but if I was in his position there would be no way that I could have just sat there and watched him with someone else. 

"You okay, Bells?" Emmett asked as he slipped a meaty arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah, just a little shocked."

"Me too! I thought for sure he was going to try and kick my ass! He was actually pretty cool." I rolled my eyes. Of course Em would think that. "And people can change, Bella-boo. Look at my Rosie. Getting back together with her was the best thing I could have ever done. Just think about it, Belly."

And think about it I did. I thought about it all the way home. I thought about it while Rose and Em talked to Charlie about everything that was going on in their lives. I thought about it as I laid in bed and tried to sleep. And I thought about him when the clock struck 2 am and I was in my truck driving to LaPush. And I definitely thought about him as he opened the door to my incessant banging in nothing but a pair of flannel pajama pants.

"Bella?" He asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. I didn't say another word. I just launched myself at him. His surprised "oomph" was the only sound he made as I jumped as high as I could to wrap my legs around his waist and pressed my lips against his. He didn't hesitate to open his mouth to me and if the loud moan he let out was any indication, the feel of our tongues dancing together was affecting him as much as it was me.

We stayed there tangled up in one another until I needed to pull back for air.

"Not that I mind, but what was that for?" He asked as he peppered my face with feather-light kisses.

"I'm tired of fighting this. I just want to be with you." I sighed as his tongue slipped out to trace my pulse point.

"I have waited so long to hear you say that." His lips attacked mine and he kicked the door closed before carrying me to his bedroom for what I hoped would be a very long night.

**A/N: So, what did you guys think? Like I said, I am super sorry for my fail on replies, but I read and loved every one! You guys never fail to astound me! I mean, the response I am getting to this is unbelievable! I love you all hard! And of course I have so much love for my bestie, pre-reader, and partner in crime, Nostalgicmiss. She pre-reads everything I send her and is just all around awesome! I love her!**

**I will get you guys another chapter ASAP! You all rock my socks off!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own and no copyright infringement is intended.**

**Oh, and apparently I suck at replying to reviews! Sorry about that. Doesn't RL understand that I have FF stuff to do? No? Well why not? Anywho, on with the chapter!**

**Chapter Five**

**Paul**

It was everything I had dreamed about since she had left all those years ago. Sure we'd had sex recently, but it was her way of saying goodbye. This was her wanting me… her choosing me. However, as much as I wanted her in my bed again, I wanted her in my life permanently even more. If I slept with her right then, she would overthink things and run like a bat out of hell. Not to mention the fact that she had no idea that I knew she wasn't engaged, and I could just see that all sorts of blowing up in my face.

"Bella, baby…" I groaned as she shifted her weight, making her rub against my extremely hard pecker.

_Focus, Paul!_

"Baby, seriously, as much as I want to take you up to our room, because it will be _ours_. But I know you. And if we do this… you're going to regret it. Not to mention, what would Emmett think about this?" That seemed to sober her up real quick. Just like I knew it would. I really just wanted her to tell the truth so we could move past it.

"I have to tell you something." She slid down my body and immediately began fiddling with the hem of her shirt.

"So tell me." I stroked her cheek and gently kissed her forehead, urging her on.

"Em isn't my fiancé. He's not even my boyfriend. We're just really good friends." I nodded. Did I tell her that I already knew? As pissed as I knew she was going to be, I couldn't build anything with her with any secrets hanging over our heads.

"I know." Her eyes blazed as they shot up to meet mine.

"I met Rosalie." Bella rolled her eyes and muttered "I should have known".

"So, all that understanding bullshit, was just what?"

"It was just a way to get you to see past who I was. And really, baby, if I was still the same guy would I even be telling you this? I could have kept quiet, but I don't want any secrets between us. I want to show you that I'll never keep anything from you again, even if it hurts." She looked up, her eyes seemingly appraising me for signs of lying but I knew she'd find none.

"So, you must have been having a blast at the diner then, huh?" She asked sarcastically.

"Baby, if you think that I enjoyed seeing another man with his hands on you, under any circumstances, then you are sadly mistaken. I still wanted to rip his arms off, even if I did like the big fucker." A small smile graced her full lips.

"So, why did you stop me?" I could see the rejection on her face and I had to put a stop to that shit.

"Don't think for one fucking second that I don't want you with every fiber of my being! But I can't handle waking up to you running away again. I may be a bastard, but I'm a bastard that loves you more than my own life! That fucking hurt, Bella." I could see the apology swimming in her eyes.

"Before you say anything, Bella, I know that I deserve every bit of pain I've felt because what I did to you… it was beyond fucked up. And I deserve it if you never give me another chance, but dammit, I want one, and I'm going to do whatever I have to in order to get one. Even if it means blue balls for me for the next few years. Hell, I haven't had sex with anyone other than my hand since you left…"

"WHAT?" Bella's screech of surprise made me chuckle.

"Oh, yeah. No sex for me. I've been celibate." Her mouth opened and closed in complete shock.

"I told you I've been working on being better for you. Not to mention, after me being with Rachel hurt you so badly, there was no way I would ever be with anyone else. Even though you were gone, in my mind it would have been cheating on you, because I'm yours."

"Holy shit," she whispered as her breathing increased.

"Come on, baby. Let's get you sitting down." I led her to the couch and gently sat her down.

"I just assumed… I mean, before me you… you slept with _a lot_ of women. I never thought you would… holy shit." She was so fucking adorable.

"I know what I was. But that's all in the past. Everything I have done since you left has been for you. Just like right now. I'm going against every instinct in my body to take you upstairs and ravage you because I know that you're not ready." We sat in silence just taking one another in until Bella finally spoke.

"You do realize that just makes me want you even more, right?" We both laughed at her words and I pulled her into my arms.

"That's the idea, baby." She slapped my chest playfully and we went on to talk about Rose and Emmett and their roles in her life.

From what I could gather from meeting both of them, they were total opposites and it really worked for them. Rosalie was a ball-busting, no nonsense kind of gal and Emmett was a loon who seemed like a lot of fun. Bella confirmed it with stories about the two of them and all the shit they got into. I was particularly amused by the story about Emmett finding out Rosalie was pregnant. Rosalie decided to tell Emmett while he was balls deep in her. Apparently he thought she was doing some sort of role-playing shit and didn't think another thing of it until it was time for her first ultrasound appointment and she expected him to go with her. When he realized that she was serious he just passed the fuck out. Like out cold. Bella said that Rosalie called her in a panic, thinking that she killed him. Then, of course, Bella took that the wrong way and thought they had gotten into some huge fight and that Emmett had been hurt. By the time Bella got there, Emmett was awake and trying to process things. Neither of the girls ever let him live it down apparently.

"So, what happens now?" She asked once our laughter died down.

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face. "I win you back."

I pretended not to be upset by the look of fear on her face, but it did tell me that I made the right decision about not having sex with her. Not that my body agreed with me. I just hoped she wouldn't keep me at arm's length for too long. Too much time had been wasted already.

**A/N: So, even though I fail at replies, I want you all to know that I read every review and love them all! You guys are so beyond awesome, I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate every alert, favorite, and review! I know some of you are going to say that it's too soon, and others are going to stone me for cock-blocking… for the first, it isn't over yet ;) and for the others…. Sooooooooorry! I know I am a mean, evil, cock-blocking bitch, but you love me! *****MUAH*******

**Thanks to my pre-reader and bestie, Nostalgicmiss! I love you, girl!**


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